Unisource continues to emphasize the convenience and ease of online ordering in an attempt to drive new and existing business through the Unisource website that is fully-integrated with their enterprise resource planning system. The e-commerce solution significantly improves Unisource’s operational efficiency, but more importantly, helps the company to better serve its clients by delivering more value.

WEB STRATEGY

Unisource sought to increase targeted traffic to its website in order to drive client acquisition and online sales. Unisource carries nearly 90,000 products, many of which are searched-for online using search engines such as Google by businesses across Canada. The strategy behind Search Engine Optimization (SEO) updates was to increase visibility for Unisource products in search engines primarily by increasing the number of pages being indexed while improving page ranks for existing listings and optimizing the Unisource website and its pages for search.

The Unisource URL structure was redesigned to contain keywords rather than numerical database keys such as product numbers; each product within the database was given its own unique URL and dedicated page which allows it to be indexed by search engines—previously impossible using only JavaScript. Product hierarchies became addressable with search engine-friendly URLs; manufacturers, categories and subcategories were included in the new URL structure. Each tool and resource available on the Unisource site was given its own URL. French pages were also given unique URLs rather than serving a language preference based on a session remembered by the browser.

The customizations made in this implementation of updates to Unisource’s IgnitionWeb installation included: a real-time inventory implementation, a proof of delivery system, credit card processing capability and live chat customer support.

RESULTS
As a result of the SEO updates made to the Unisource website, pages indexed by Google increased 69,700% in twelve months from 500 to 349,000. Q1-2010 to Q1-2011 comparisons demonstrate year-over-year increases in unique site visitors (up 44% to over 44,000), number of visits (up 34% to over 108,000), and page views (up 18% to over 3.7 million). Products and brands carried by Unisource are often found within Google’s first-page, top 10 search results. The increased traffic and high page-ranks represent greater visibility for Unisource, greater prominence for its products within search engine listings, and a growing proportion of Unisource clients conducting business through the online system. The benefit to Unisource clients and the general public is improved access to product information, facilitated ordering and an enhanced user experience. The benefit to Unisource is increased online sales generated by new targeted traffic and account creations.

IgnitionWeb is the easy-to-use Internet marketing software that empowers businesses to Inform, Promote and Transact online. The IgnitionWeb platform consists of an integrated suite of Web-based software tools specifically designed for content management, customer relationship management, brand asset management and e-commerce. The IgnitionWeb platform can be customized to specific organizational needs, providing solutions usually only available in high-end applications, but for a fraction of the development time and cost. IgnitionWeb makes e-business easier.